XplanaZine

A theme that evolved when conducting research in effective museum distance education was that of design interface. It was identified as one of the key elements that contribute to the effective design of distance learning programs within museums.
Design interface refers not only to the aesthetic design of instruction (font, lay out, color, graphics, etc.) but also to the navigation and coherence of the instruction. Distance programs delivered through the use of technology (power point presentations, Internet, CD and DVD ROMs), must be easy to navigate, clear, interactive, allow for self determination, possess a balance of text and graphics, and must be cross platform. The Facilities Design Specialist and adjunct CAD instructor stressed,
The site can’t have any problems. In other words, it must be accessible for both PC and Mac users. Basically, that it is accessible, easy to navigate and have different venues for different types of learners. Make sure the site is user friendly for those who are not normally used to working with computers, because people who are interested in the arts may not be as literate in computers as those who work with them all of the time, such as programmers. So don’t bury your information, and use the three-click rule.
The design interface should be developed with learning theories in mind. Learning is an active process of building organized mental structures, thus the interface should be the place where such structures are represented via visual arrangement. Layout is critical. Within the interface, the links and graphics should make obvious connections that relate general information (prior knowledge) to the artifacts and conceptual frameworks.
Because learning is influenced by the context in which it occurs, the website must always strive to engage the affect, create a pleasant, “rewarding” environment, and to entertain, without sacrificing integrity or intellectual rigor. Because learning is a process that is mediated by both memory constraints and social interaction, it is important not to clutter the interface design with too much information.
The activities on the interface should encourage and reward creative thinking, innovative relationship-construction, and the application of the artifacts and concepts to one’s life. Learning is constructive and reconstructive, thus an effective interface encourages the learner to look at the same items from multiple perspectives and points of view so that knowledge is continuously generated.
Limitations
Participants in a recent study of museum education and distance learning suggested several limitations or issues unique to distance learning within museums. These included funding, copyright issues, nature of the material, and lack of technical and instructional design expertise within museums. First of all, interviewees mentioned that many employees don’t have the technical expertise to develop instructional programs for CD’s or the Internet. Also, being non-profit institutions, funding may not be available to implement certain types of technology (in terms of purchasing equipment or outsourcing work).
As a result of funding issues, many museum employees will have an incredible amount of pressure placed upon them to learn software programs and become developers themselves. The Instructor of Psychology compared this phenomenon to what is happening in academia when he stated,
I am seeing a lot of pressure to adopt technology when often they don’t feel ready for it. I really don’t see a need for it. Where I’m at now, if you don’t have technology skills, they won’t hire you. You are unemployable. If you are not willing to consider doing things on the web, do power point presentation in the classroom…if you are not willing to do that they will not hire you….I mean, you yourself know that learning how to do something on the computer with a software program, developing a particular protocol, can take 50, 60, 80 hours. Now how do they dig up the extra 80 hours to learn how to do these things? There are only enough hours in the week to do one thing.
Another issue unique to museums is the nature of the material, mentioned earlier in the paper. In review, museums deal with physical objects that are visual and often non-static in nature. This creates problems for DL programs, because it means that artifacts either have to be reproduced for traveling exhibits/trunks, or simulated in websites. Probably the most complex issue discussed by interviewees was that of copyrights.
If material is put on the Internet, there are concerns about whether or not the material is “fair use” because it is intended for educational purposes, or if the museums will be required to get access to copyrights (which goes back to time and funding constraints). In addition, many artists are reluctant to have their work put online.
The following quote from the Curator of Education best describes the copyright issue within museums.
I don’t know anybody who really knows how this works with museums right now. It’s really very confusing. And, obviously, since it is visual, you have to have the images. So is it an educational website, so this is fair use, or do you have to go and get all of the rights? Which is a huge pain in the neck, and very, very, expensive. It can be very expensive and time consuming, if you have to, every time you have an image, check into whether the artists’ rights society is going to let you do that free of charge, or charge you $2,000? It can put some serious limitations on what you do. I think it’s all relatively new, with the web technology. So people are still trying to figure out what to do. So it’s something we are running into right now about how much of the collection we can put online and all of that. And there’s the issue of even if you have the rights…I mean, once you put the images online you have no idea how people are going to be using them. Whether they are going to be downloading them and trying to sell it as a reproduction, or what. I mean it’s very complicated, and I kind of don’t like to think of it at all, but unfortunately, we have to.
I know a lot of artists who are concerned about putting their work up on the Internet. They are concerned with how to prevent others from using it. Or even using it you know, like an advertisement of something. Something in a use completely different than how it was intended. So, you know, it really leaves the control totally, you know, it’s just out there.
Finally, peoples’ reactions to DL programs within museums may present possible limitations as well. This applies to reactions amongst both the public and museum staff. There are mixed emotions, and while some people think it’s great, there are others who have their reservations regarding both the effectiveness and satisfaction of instruction via distance education. While it may eliminate some of the economic and geographical barriers, and potentially reach out to more people, some people may be reluctant to participate. The Museum Technician of a Natural History Museum commented, “I don’t think all of this new technology is necessarily for the best.” Similarly, the Course Developer from the College of Continuing Education stated,
Museums, libraries, churches, places of learning, and movie theatres were always ’sacred places’ for me because in these places I was exposed to the ‘other worlds’ that lay outside my small town existence in Southern Illinois. Going to a museum for me was a pilgrimage. We had to travel a considerable distance to a large city and step inside an imposing building. Now, when a museum reaches out through distance learning programs, it tells me that its contents and programs are inclusive; it is no longer a ’sacred’ place for those who can make the journey. But in a way, I feel sorry for the children who live in a world where everything is suddenly accessible.
On the other hand, the Facilities Design Specialist expressed another view of distance learning programs when she said,
I like it because it enables me to learn or look at something that I wouldn’t normally get to do, because we live in a culture where there aren’t a lot of museums. For somebody like me, it’s the closest I’m ever going to get to it unless I leave the state. So, for me, I think it’s wonderful. In fact, I go and look at those museum sites all of the time, and I think they’re cool, but I don’t actually have to leave home.
Something that initially struck the researcher as the coding was being reviewed, was that both museum and non-museum interviewees were able to describe elements that contributed towards successful educational programs, but when asked how to apply these in a distance setting, the elements didn’t seem quite as clear.
There was a substantial gap between the information provided, and initially it was thought that it might be that participants were simply not familiar enough with the technology to know how to apply these elements in a distance setting. This original assumption was disproved when participants reviewed websites. When the subjects looked at the museum websites, they were able specifically describe strengths and weaknesses of each site. Another explanation could be the limitations in funding and copyright accessibility.
The primary researcher is prone to believe that funding is a larger contributor, since developers may know what makes an effective distance learning program, but without the technology or technical expertise to develop them, these elements are omitted. Other possible explanations may be that although designers may know what they want as a viewer or participant in a program, they are limited by constraints in time or budget, so they are unable to apply these elements into the program. Finally, developers may simply be distracted by other duties, thus unable to recollect and apply all of the necessary elements.
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